Endotracheal tubes, used in various medical procedures for delivering gas to a patient, generally consist of a long tube which may be inserted into a patient's mouth and down the trachea to provide an air supply to a patient. The use of an endotrachial tube ensures that the airway is not closed off and that air is able to reach the lungs. Typically, the tube is flexible and somewhat resilient in order to easily bend through the airway of a patient and not cause tissue damage. It is often desirable to incorporate a bite block with the tube, in order to prevent a patient from biting down on the tube. The bite block consists of a relatively rigid member having a hollow interior to which encircles the tube at its upper (inlet) end where the tube enters the patient's mouth. The bite block is inserted into the patient's mouth and is retained or positioned between the patient's teeth. This is particularly useful for certain patient population groups who may have only limited control over their biting reflex. A sufficiently hard bite on a tube can pinch or even rupture the tube, thereby critically interrupting the gas flow to the patient. In response to this problem, a bite block may be provided to surround or partially surround the tube, to resist such biting. For example, bite blocks are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,667 (Magnussen), U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,534 (Briggs, III), and the Smedic(™) bite block sold by SouthMedic Incorporated.
When a bite block is used, it is critical that that it not become disengaged from the tube or that the tube slide within the block, since this can result in the block becoming dislodged or even in some cases sliding down a patient's trachea.
Endotracheal tubes are typically supplied in a range of sizes, and it is desirable to provide a bite block which is suitable for accommodating this range of sizes. For example, the SMedic system accommodates a range of generally conventional endotracheal tube sizes. One end of the endotrachial tube (the outlet end) is for insertion into the patients trachea, and the opposed end (the inlet end) is dimensioned for fitting a standard air supply tube.
While a typical bite block is dimensioned to accommodate even a relatively narrow endotracheal tube, slippage of the tube (especially a narrow tube) within the block can still occur. In order to prevent or reduce this, the bite block can be fastened to the tube by a tie strap. For this purpose, a tie strap may be fitted around the bite block and tube to cinch the tube and bite block together. However, especially when used with a smaller diameter endotracheal tube, it is still possible for slippage of the bite block to occur, in particular if the caregiver neglects to properly cinch the bite block to the endotrachial tube with the supplied strap, or in situations when the use of a strap is not practical. There is thus a need for an improved bite block that addresses at least some of the drawbacks within prior art devices.
Since endotracheal tubes are supplied in a range of sizes to accommodate different patient populations, some bite blocks such as the SMedic products are configured to accept a range of endotracheal tube sizes. This provides the convenience that one need only have on hand a single size of bite block, rather than a range of sizes capable of fitting a bite block. It is desirable to provide an improved bite block that securely fastens the endotrachial tube to the block while also accommodating a range of tube sizes.